UNESCO and its education partners have officially begun a global consultation process that places young people at the center of designing the future of education. Students and youth from around the world are being invited to share their experiences, priorities, and recommendations on how education should evolve to meet future social, economic, and technological challenges.
The consultation is open to participants between the ages of 11 and 30 and will run through September 2026. Responses from surveys and regional consultations will be analyzed by members of the SDG 4 Youth & Student Network, who will draft a Post-2030 Youth Education and Learning Agenda. The document will later be presented at the 2027 Global Education Meeting, where governments and education leaders will use it as a foundation for future education reforms.
According to UNESCO, the initiative recognizes that today's students will be most affected by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, climate change, automation, and changing labor markets. By involving young people directly in policymaking, the organization aims to create education systems that are more inclusive, innovative, and better aligned with the skills needed in the future.
Education experts have welcomed the initiative as one of the most ambitious youth engagement projects in recent years. They say giving young people a direct voice in shaping global education policy could help ensure that future learning systems are more responsive to real-world challenges and better prepare the next generation for an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
